Ascent Solar EnerPlex Kickr and Jumpr Review

Ascent Solar EnerPlex Kickr and Jumpr Review

Editor: Mike

Basic Description of item:

With ‘solar on plastic’ the EnerPlex Kickr II™ is a weather resistant, lightweight 3.0W portable solar panel built to survive even the harshest conditions while still keeping you fully charged.

Just the Facts:

KICKR Solar Panel:
Product Dimensions:361.95mm(14.25″)/190.5mm(7.5″)/18mm(0.71″)
Additional Information:User manuals, data sheets, and other supporting documents can be found in the ‘Downloads and Support Tab’
Power:3.5 Watts Unregulated/3.0 Watt, 5 Volt System Regulated
Solar Cell Type:CIGS
Output:0.6 Amp (USB Port)
Warranty:1 Year

Jumpr Battery Pack:
Product Dimensions:170.0mm(6.69″)/95.0mm(3.74″)/7.5mm(0.3″)
Additional Information:User manuals, data sheets, and other supporting documents can be found in the ‘Downloads and Support Tab’
Battery Capacity:5,100 mAh
Battery Type:Lithium-Polymer
Recharge By:Micro-USB
Input:Micro-USB
Output:USB Port/Tethered Micro-USB
Power Output:1A/2.4A
Warranty:1 Year

The Story:
I have received phone calls, sent text, and update Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook from about every remote nook and cranny in the US. Frightening, but in a way comforting.:)
Today the ability to stay connected has followed us outdoors, and deep into the wilderness. I have to admit that sometimes it is a pain, but it can give great comfort to know that in most places I can contact someone.
In October of 2014 I had just went on one of the most grueling hikes I have ever been on. It was remote, steep, and way away from any road. When I finally made it to the top of the ridge my phone started lighting up, texts, emails, phone calls, etc. Kinda cool, for me at least.
My point is this:
– Access to the internet, and cell service happens almost anywhere
– Staying charged, and ready to go is an important safety tool.

Ok, enough about being connected, how do we stay charged when we are on the road, in the back country, or away from an outlet?

I have had the opportunity recently to try out several different ways of keeping my portable devices charged away from the wall outlet.
We all have access to the sun, and solar charging seems like a great way to go.
On my last 2 outings to Idaho, and Wyoming I was able to use the EnerPlex system by Ascent Solar.
I decided to take their small Solar Panel, the Kickr II, and their awesome battery pack the Jumpr Slate 5k.
The Slate battery pack fits nicely into the back zip panel of the Kickr II, for this reason and others I felt it would be a good combination:

Before I went on the trips to Idaho and Wyoming I fully charged the Jumpr Slate 5k battery pack. I charged it using the provided USB to Micro USB cable and connected it to a standard USB wall charger. It took about 3 hours to totally charge the battery pack using the wall charger.
I then took the solar panel and the battery pack along with me on the trip.
The first day I spent the entire day out in the mountains away from camp, when returning at night I connected the charged battery pack to my Samsung Galaxy 5s. The Phone charged in about 2 hours, I made note that my devices charged at the rate of about 1% every minute.
I then connected the charger to an Iphone 5 and next a Samsung Galaxy 4. It charged all 3 device.
The Jumpr Slate battery pack when fully charged appears to be able to charge 3 cell phones.

Day 2 of my trip I deployed a new method for device charging:
Before light I connected the Jumpr battery pack to the Kickr II solar panel and left it on a table in camp. I made sure it would have full sky access for most of the day. I was able to return to camp mid day about 1 pm, and check on the status. I found the battery to be charged to about 50%. When I returned at night it was fully charged! NICE.
I connected devices that night, and again was able to charge 2.5-3 cell phones.

Day 3 I decided to take the solar panel with me on my back pack:
I connected the solar panel to the outside of my back pack and then connected the Jumpr II battery to the panel.
I spent the day hiking and hunting. The sky was clear, and the pack had sun on and off most of the day. At mid day I noticed I had about a 30% battery charge, and at the end of the day I had a 75% charge.
That night when returning to camp I was able to charge 2 cell phones. Well done! This is about what I had expected.

I spent the next several days in the outdoors exposing the solar panel to a variety of conditions. Cold, heat, sun, rain, and even snow.
I found the battery pack to send a charge out quite well in warm and cool weather.
The Solar Panel I found to be very robust! It is made well. I especially like that the USB connection to the solar panel is not hard wired, meaning if my cable goes bad, I can easily use a different cable

Summary:
-The Kickr Solar Panel by Ascent Solar is an outstanding tool for keeping your mobile devices charged
-Both the Solar Panel, and the Jumpr battery back are very durable.
-The flex of the solar panel is fantastic. It will really take a bending beating and not break
-The battery pack is AWESOME! cool looking, great shape, nice built in cable, and just works
-The company nailed it with a great products that just work!
-IT IS A BUY at about $130 for both peices.

What they could do better:
-The case is adequate, but I would like to see it be more water resistant
-The zip pouch needs an access hole for the cable vs putting it out the zipper and not zipping all the way
-It would be nice to include clips to hang it with, I used some rope I had.